Peace in the Community…
June 3, 2011 in Life
… so that all may live free from fear.
“Love your neighbour as yourself.” “Pray for those who persecute you.”
(Luke 10:27; Matthew 5:44)
The discussion about Peace in the Community, during the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Jamaica, started with the challenge of How do we live out the hope of “Loving our neighbours as ourselves” in a world deeply marred by violence in a variety of ways?
During the day, the plenary was focused in the discussion of violence against women, violence of racism and other forms of discrimination and violence caused by the assertion of religious identities, with the aim of hold forth affirmation of the dignity and equality of all human beings, re-imagining churches as open, just and inclusive communities.
Among the panellists of the day, Dr Martin Luther King III, the son of the famous civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr, brought to the IEPC participants the reflection on the ways the world believe in peace and justice. He reaffirmed that we can’t continue to preach peace and to practice war.
Dr Martin Luther King III, who experienced the violence in his own family, still believes that there is no way of peace if we try to solve our problems in a way “eye-for-an-eye and a tooth-for-a-tooth”. He asked the communities of faith to not only talk about peace but to promote peace, being an example of peace in the world, starting in the individual homes.
As a young participant, listening to the son of one of the biggest leaders of civil rights, I felt really encouraged when he challenged the young people to talk about peace, using the media tools we have, like Twitter or Facebook. We, young women and men, can contribute a lot to the promotion of peace and make the world a better place. We need to make this topic our commitment and share how we are promoting peace in our community.
Every day, in our different realities we are facing discrimination of people and the struggle for justice. We have so many people without access to the basic needs and what are we doing to promote justice for those people? How are we helping them to achieve peace? In other regions, we have people suffering for religious conflicts. How we are facing it and how we are trying to help our communities in these questions? Some people are suffering the discrimination for being women or part of a minority. How do we accept that?
Yes, our communities are doing something. Still, it’s not enough. However, we need to share with others what we are doing and how is possible to turn the reality, creating a better world with inclusion of all. Maybe, the start can be participating and helping projects in our churches. Maybe, sharing with others our work. You can also do something avoiding discrimination of women and minorities. You just need to participate and be part of this call. The challenge is to love your neighbour as yourself, like Christ said.
I’ll finalize with the words of Marthin Luther King III: “We have to make this world a better place. Tweet what people are doing. It’s young people who are going to lead this struggle. It’s your calling. Every generation has a calling. Maybe this generation’s calling is a peaceful world.”
Daniele Schmidt Peter from the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil – serving as steward at the IEPC
I appreciate & prayer for the Peace & Justice lover all over the world who promote Peace & Justice to provide a strong hand to pull you out of the ditch, provide a guiding hand to guide you down the right path, provide a helping hand to help you help others, provide you love, wisdom, peace, grace & His will to serve His people.
No where in the World is spare from these words like Anger, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Critical Spirit, Cults, Depression, Domestic Violence, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Suicide, Abortion, Adultery, Alcoholic & Drug Abuse, Dating, Divorce, Homosexuality, Incest, rape, satanic ritual abuse, natural disaster, robery, murder, fraud, kidnapping, cult entrapment, spritual abuse, elder abuse, sexual harassment, stalking, negelectful, infidelity, verbal, emotional, physical, racial, economic abuse, terrorist, naxal, Astrology, Cartomancy, Horoscopes, Numerology, Palmistry, Psychic games, Rod & Pendulum, Scrying, Sortilege, Tasseography, Water witching/dowsing, Channeling, Familiar spirits, Halloween, Materialization, Necromancy, Psychometry, Reincarnation, Seances, Sexual spirits, Shamanism, Spirit writing, Demonic Spirit guides etc. lists are beyond our thoughts. None of the word like thses give us peace, comfort, encouragement & Justice. We can get Peace & Justice & Blessings on those who serve the poor Serving poor may be The Right Thing To Do; but the Bible also associates it with material and spiritual reward. Here we’ll look at the benefits promised to those who serve the poor; in the next section we’ll examine the consequences of not doing so.
Prov. 22:9 He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.
Jer. 22:16 “Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is that not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.
Deut. 15:10. You shall give generously to [your poor brother], and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.
Jer. 7:5-7. “For, if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”
Is. 58:10. “And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Luke 14:12-14. “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 12:44. “Sell your possessions and give alms; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Mt. 19:20ff. The young man said to Him, “All these commands I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Consequences of not serving the poor
As there are blessings for those who serve the poor, there are consequences for those who oppress them… or who simply ignore them.
Ezek. 16:49ff. “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.”
Is. 10:1-3. “Woe to those who enact evil statutes, and to those who continually record unjust decisions, so as to deprive the needy of justice, and rob the poor of My people of their rights… Now what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the devastation which will come from afar?”
Luke 1:52ff. [Mary's Magnificat.] “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were hungry. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed.”
Ezek. 22:29,31. “The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice… Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares the Lord GOD.
Jer. 5:28f. “[The wicked] do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Shall I not punish these people?” declares the LORD. “On such a nation as this, shall I not avenge myself?”
James 5:1-6. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. …Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and with you have withheld, cries out against you; and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Luke 6:24. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
Luke 16:19-25. “Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony…’”
Biblical attitudes for believers toward the poor
So far we’ve examined only the surface God’s commands concerning the poor, what happens if we obey or if we don’t. Here we consider the spirit in which we respond. Without some of these correctives, we might make many mistakes serving the poor.
Prov. 29:7. The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern.
1 John 3:17. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Luke 6:33ff. “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same.”
2 Cor 9:7. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Mt. 6:2-4. “When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
Mt. 6:24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money.”
1 Tim. 6:10. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
Gal. 2:9ff. Recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John… gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor- the very thing I also was eager to do.
Lev. 19:15. “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.”
Acts 2:44. All those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began to sell their property and possessions, and share them with all, as anyone might have need.
Acts 4:32-35. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.
Eph. 4:28. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.
Hence let us join our hands by sharing our experience, feeling & promoting Justice & Peace to the Poor & also the Rich.
For any suggesstion,comment, encourgaement, guidance, support, prayer & work among the poor. Write to Mr. Birendra Oraon, Director, JOB Youth Mass, Vice-President, Tribal People and Women Welfare Organisation At-Christian Street, Po-Jeypore, Dist-Koraput, State-Orissa, Country-India, Cell No. +91-09777576989, E-mail: job_youthmass@yahoo.com, tpwwo_org@rediffmail.com
An effective organization for world peace will be established not through political diplomats around a peace table, but through Christian teachers in all lands, teaching citizens in Sunday School and public school the sacredness of human life.
Good to see real expertise on display. Your contibrution is most welcome.
[...] Many of you followed the young Lutherans who joined others in promoting peace in the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (they posted here, here, here, and here). [...]
Congratulation my Fellow intern,
You have met the son of civil right defender Luther Jr..
He must have been very energising to deliver the rights context to young participants there..
Cheers,
fernando